Trenton teen dead, four wounded after Hamilton shooting

HAMILTON — A house party gone awry left a Trenton teen dead late Friday night at a township house party just outside the Trenton border.

According to First Assistant Prosecutor Angelo Onofri of the Mercer County Prosecutors Office, the shooting that took the life of 17-year-old Shakir Williams happened just before 11:12 p.m. when Hamilton police were dispatched to the 1100 block of Deutz Avenue on reports of shots fired.

The killing has left the Deutzville neighborhood stunned; Residents there say it’s typically quiet, but that recently the neighborhood has seen a rise in petty crimes.

The murder however, is a new chapter for the neighborhood.

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Hector Jordan, who lives on the block described the scene Friday night as total chaos. Jordan said he saw police outside the party trying keep partygoers at bay with a shotgun. The party exploded out of the small house after shots rang out, witnesses said that kids ran into other rooms, out of the back and outside to escape the unfolding nightmare.

Deutzville residents said that there were kids everywhere, a stark contrast from the otherwise peaceful nature of the street Saturday afternoon, where neighbors were in disbelief over what had happened inside 1105 Deutz Avenue.

An elderly resident said she didn’t really hear the noise, but said during the course of her nightly routine she was surprised when the street lit up with flashing lights as police flooded the normally quiet street.

Jordan said that the residents in 1105 had only lived there for about a year and seemed like decent people. Jordan commented that kids will be kids and you can’t always control who they become friends with.

According to Onofri the home was the location of a birthday or house party for a 15-year-old girl, though it appears the party had a cover charge at the door according to a tweet that billed it as a house party/kickback where it was $2 for girls and $3 for boys.

“It was estimated that there were upwards of 100 people at the party,” Onofri said.

The post advertising the party and corresponding Twitter page were taken down Saturday afternoon, though a search turned up multiple retweets urging people to come out and tell everyone they know. Witnesses confirm that they had to pay to enter the home, which was apparently being rented by the current occupants.

Two girls, who declined to be identified, said they were inside the home when the shooting occurred said the shooter didn’t say a word and just started shooting. The girls said that the shooter walked in and started shooting after he paid the fee to get in. The girls weren’t sure that Shakir was the intended target or whether the other victims were targeted. According to the girls, there was no drinking at the party and that the mother was kicking people out who were attempting to bring in bottles.

First Assistant Prosecutor Onofri said that there were indications that alcohol was being served, despite witnesses claiming that no alcohol was being served.

According to Onofri the mother and stepfather were home on the second floor of the Deutz Avenue home. An older brother who is 23 was collecting an admission fee at the door, Onofri said.

The girls said that there may have been a dispute between the shooter and the victim, but said they did not know what the dispute was over.

Other partygoers relayed similar information at Capital Health Regional Medical Center where they went with the other victims. They too said that the gunman walked in the front and began firing numerous shots at the crowd.

“Everyone kind of fell back when he started shooting, he aimed at people on the couch and then at everybody else,” said a brother of a victim.

The slain teen’s body was found in one of the rooms off of the living room inside of the home, Onofri said. He was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene, the prosecutor’s office said. The official cause of death is pending autopsy.

Trenton police were also called to the scene as backup amid the chaos rolling out of the Deutz Avenue home, where William’s body laid for roughly an hour before being discovered, police sources tell The Trentonian.

According to scanner reports a Mobile Intensive Care Unit was requested back to the scene for the purposes of pronouncing the teen dead around 12:45 a.m.

Williams was a Trenton High Student, who played football for the Trenton Central Tornadoes on the varsity team during the 2011-2012 season as a sophomore.

The mother of the girls said the 17-year-old West Ward resident was known to be a good kid and not a troublemaker, a sentiment echoed by her girls.

Four other victims sustained gunshot wounds, the First Assistant Prosecutor said.

A 17-year-old sustained wounds to the torso, arms leg and groin. He underwent a five-hour surgery at Capital Health Regional Medical Center. “As of this morning (Saturday), the hospital told us that he is in critical but stable condition,” Onofri said. “We were informed by the hospital that one bullet remained in him.”

Two more victims, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old, were also taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the legs, they were treated and released, Onofri said.

The fourth victim, a 17-year-old, was taken to St. Francis Medical center for a gunshot wound to the calf. He was also treated and released.

A group of friends from Bordentown said they will not be returning to Hamilton after one of their own was shot.

“Since I brought my brother and friends out here, I feel like I’m responsible,” one partygoer whose 17-year-old brother was shot through the calf, said. “You read about all these shootings and you never think it’s going to be someone you know.”

The investigation is ongoing and police were seen canvassing the area around Deutz Avenue on Saturday.

“At this point we are investigating and are tracking down potential suspects,” Onofri said.

The gunman was described by witnesses as a black male wearing a white “baseball style” shirt with red sleeves and a white hat. As of Saturday evening no one has been charged, the prosecutor’s office said.

Police ask that anyone with information regarding the homicide please call the Hamilton police at (609) 581-4000. Tipsters can also call the anonymous tipline at (609) 581-4008.